“I am a part of all that I have met.” Alfred Lord Tennyson I had a ballet teacher who would often tell us everyone is good for something, if only to be a bad example. I was never sure what he meant until I, myself, experienced a very bad teacher as an undergrad. I vowed […]
Leadership
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Wisdom
“Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers.” Alfred Lord Tennyson With age and experience comes wisdom or something akin to it. In our youth and training we read, we study, we practice and attend concerts and rehearsals and we think we know it all. And maybe we do, theoretically. It isn’t until we get out in the […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Being Kind
“We cannot be kind to each other here for even an hour. We whisper, and hint, and chuckle and grin at our brother’s shame; however you take it we men are a little breed.” Alfred Lord Tennyson I’ve written many Choral Ethics blogs about kindness and there’s a very good reason why; we Choral Folk […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Autumn Beginnings
“There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky, which through the summer is not heard or seen, as if it could not be, as if it had not been!” Percy Bysshe Shelley I love autumn. The golden slant of the sunshine, the rich, beautiful colors of the trees, the crisp and […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Take a Chance
“Necessity is the mother of taking chances.” Mark Twain August is winding down; September is almost here and summer is over. During most of August, we here at Choral Potpourri Blog have tried to get you thinking of ways to hit the ground running this fall. Today, the last Thursday of the month, we’d like […]
Choral Potpourri/Choral Ethics: Changing OUR Behavior
“Nothing so needs reforming as other people’s habits.” Mark Twain During the last two weeks, Choral Potpourri Blog focused on what you need and what you do. Today we’ll be thinking about our behavior inside of rehearsal. It’s easier to be objective when not actively in the midst of rehearsals or the academic year. While […]